Huntsville in Madison County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)

Pathﬁnder

Huntsville's Orbiter for NASA's Fleet

By Sandra Hughes, September 20, 2016

1. Pathfinder Marker

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Pathfinder. Huntsville's Orbiter for NASA's Fleet. Pathfinder is a 75-ton simulator which was used to practice lifting and handling the real Orbiters. It was originally built at Marshall Space Flight Center in 1977 as a stand-in for Space Shuttle Enterprise to fit-check the roads and facilities that were to be used during the Mated Vertical Ground Vibration Test. In mid-1978, Pathfinder was shipped by barge to Kennedy Space Center where it was used to fit-check the Mate/Demate Device, the Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF) and the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) platforms. It was also used for ground crew training. In early 1979, Pathfinder was used to rehearse post landing procedures at the Kennedy Shuttle Landing Facility, allowing convoy operations to be accurately simulated. In late 1979, Pathfinder was returned to Marshall Space Flight Center. . . After several years in storage, a group of Japanese businessmen expressed interest in obtaining a full-scale Orbiter model for the Great Space Exposition. The Japanese group agreed to pay Teledyne Brown Engineering to modify the Pathfinder to more costly resemble an actual Orbiter. Following display in Tokyo, Pathfinder was returned to Marshall Space Flight Center and was later brought to the U.S. Space & Rocket Center for display. . .

Pathfinder is a 75-ton simulator which was used to practice lifting and handling the real Orbiters. It was originally built at Marshall Space Flight Center in 1977 as a stand-in for Space Shuttle Enterprise to fit-check the roads and facilities that were to be used during the Mated Vertical Ground Vibration Test. In mid-1978, Pathfinder was shipped by barge to Kennedy Space Center where it was used to fit-check the Mate/Demate Device, the Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF) and the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) platforms. It was also used for ground crew training. In early 1979, Pathfinder was used to rehearse post landing procedures at the Kennedy Shuttle Landing Facility, allowing convoy operations to be accurately simulated. In late 1979, Pathfinder was returned to Marshall Space Flight Center.

After several years in storage, a group of Japanese businessmen expressed interest in obtaining a full-scale Orbiter model for the Great Space Exposition. The Japanese group agreed to pay Teledyne Brown Engineering to modify the Pathfinder to more costly resemble an actual Orbiter. Following display in Tokyo, Pathfinder was returned to Marshall Space Flight Center and was later brought to the U.S. Space & Rocket Center for display.

Location. 34° 42.63′ N, 86° 39.128′ W. Marker is in Huntsville, Alabama, in Madison County. Marker can be reached from Tranquility Base 0.4 miles west of Madison Pike, on the left when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1 Tranquility Base, Huntsville AL 35805, United States of America.

Credits. This page was last revised on September 22, 2016. This page originally submitted on September 21, 2016, by Sandra Hughes of Killen, Usa. This page has been viewed 260 times since then and 25 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on September 21, 2016, by Sandra Hughes of Killen, Usa. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.

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